NHL

Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs

· National Hockey League
Florida Panthers
41-22-3
Final
3 - 2
Toronto Maple Leafs
39-23-3

Sam Bennett scores 2 power-play goals in surging Panthers' 3-2 victory over Maple Leafs

Sam Bennett scores on the power play for Florida Panthers

Defenseman Niko Mikkola also scored for the defending champion Panthers. They lead the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of the second-place Maple Leafs. Toronto has lost four of five.

Florida played without Matthew Tkachuk (lower-body), newcomer Brad Marchand (upper-body) and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (suspension).

John Tavares had his 27th goal of the season for Toronto. Max Domi added a goal, and Anthony Stolarz stopped 22 shots.

Takeaways Panthers: Captain Alexsander Barkov, Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart and members of the team’s management presented a Stanley Cup replica ring to the Hockey Hall of Fame in a ceremony Wednesday.

Maple Leafs: Stolarz lost for the second time in two starts against his former club this season.

Key moment Tied at 1, the Panthers killed off two penalties in the first 10 minutes of the second period, then scored twice in a 3:17 span

Key stat Florida and Toronto had been separated by two points or fewer for 103 days.

Upcoming Both teams play Saturday. The Panthers are at Montreal, and the Maple Leafs host Ottawa.

Regular Season Series

FLA leads series 2-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 2:00 John Tavares Goal (27) Wrist Shot, assists: William Nylander (31), Simon Benoit (5)
Goal 1st Period 17:51 Sam Bennett Goal (21) Wrist Shot, assists: Mackie Samoskevich (11), Sam Reinhart (37)
Goal 2nd Period 13:56 Niko Mikkola Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: A.J. Greer (11)
Goal 2nd Period 17:13 Sam Bennett Goal (22) Wrist Shot, assists: Sam Reinhart (38), Mackie Samoskevich (12)
Goal 3rd Period 4:26 Max Domi Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Calle Jarnkrok (1), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (22)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/fla.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originFLA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/tor.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTOR
12 Blocked Shots 14
40 Hits 24
2 Takeaways 4
25 Shots 25
2 Power Play Goals 0
3 Power Play Opportunities 3
66.7 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
29 Faceoffs Won 28
50.9 Faceoff Win Percent 49.1
18 Giveaways 8
4 Total Penalties 4
11 Penalty Minutes 11
Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Morgan Rielly, D Out Feb 2
Chris Tanev, D Injured Reserve Jan 28
Dakota Joshua, C Injured Reserve Jan 28
Florida Panthers Florida Panthers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Brad Marchand, LW Day-To-Day Feb 6
Aaron Ekblad, D Day-To-Day Feb 6
Evan Rodrigues, C Day-To-Day Feb 6
Daniil Tarasov, G Day-To-Day Feb 5
Tobias Bjornfot, D Injured Reserve Feb 5

Game Information

Scotiabank Arena

Location: Toronto, ON
Attendance: 19,201 | Capacity:

2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Tampa Bay 37 14 78 4
Montreal 32 17 72 8
Detroit 33 19 72 6
Buffalo 32 19 70 6
Boston 32 20 69 5
Ottawa 28 22 63 7
Toronto 27 21 63 9
Florida 29 25 61 3
Full Standings